Jazzy accordions to hit Charleston

  • BY JACK MCCRAY
    Jazz Beat(s)
  • Posted: Thursday, July 7, 2011 12:01 a.m.
    UPDATED: Friday, March 23, 2012 3:48 p.m.
  • Text size: A A A
Charlton Singleton played the theme from 'A Shot in the Dark' in January at the Charleston Music Hall. 'I enjoyed CJO (Charleston Jazz Orchestra) members shouting out, ‘Squeeze it!' ' he said of the accordion.
Photo by Reese Moore/Jazz Artists of Charleston/Charlton Singleton played the theme from 'A Shot in the Dark' in January at the Charleston Music Hall. 'I enjoyed CJO (Charleston Jazz Orchestra) members shouting out, ‘Squeeze it!' ' he said of the accordion.

Have you heard the one about the frustrated accordion player?

There was this accordion player who was increasingly having trouble making a living on the much-maligned, unconventional instrument. It was a source of great consternation for him because he dearly loved playing the venerable box with keys and buttons.

He auditioned for bands. He applied for inclusion in orchestras. He tried sitting in on jam sessions.

Nothing worked. About all he could muster was the occasional old-school wedding gig or a job at a circus or dance for a small-town Oktoberfest.

Out of desperation, he tried to sell his accordion so he could buy another instrument and take it up. That didn't work. He couldn't even give it away.

So he decided to set it up to be stolen, get it out of his life. He parked his car on a busy street and left the instrument on the back seat with the windows open and doors unlocked. Then, he ran an errand, thinking it would be spotted by some thief and taken by the time he got back.

When he returned, what he found was three other accordions on the seat next to his.

This old joke -- and there are many -- makes it easy to make fun of the Old World instrument, seen by many as a cheesy throwback to the times of your grandparents.

Well, the accordion and people playing it are alive and well these days. It holds a respected position in the classics and the most modern of art forms, including jazz.

In 1883, Tchaikovsky used four accordions in his "Second Suite for Symphonic Orchestra."

Festival coming next week

The Lowcountry is poised to receive hundreds of accordionists and fans from all over the world at the annual Festival and Competition sponsored by the American Accordionists' Association to be held July 13-17 at the Charleston Airport Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center.

A festival highlight will be a performance by the AAA Massed Band of "The Charleston" at the U.S. Customhouse on East Bay Street.

"Our event attracts accordionists and accordion music lovers from across the country and overseas because the instrument is significant to so many cultures and music styles," said AAA President Linda Soley Reed. "We are especially pleased to gather in Charleston this year, a city with rich musical history and family entertainment."

Noted accordionists will perform in styles ranging from jazz to pop, polka, rock and world music. The festival will include concerts, workshops, master classes and competitions for all playing levels.

This year's event is highlighted by a new Youth Involvement Program that introduces the accordion to local young musicians to create a jazz ensemble that will perform at 2 p.m. July 16 during the festival's Award Concert in the hotel's ballroom.

Four jazz students taught by Charleston Jazz Orchestra conductor Charlton Singleton at the Leonard School of Music on Montague Avenue will participate in that concert. They are Anna Kroninger, flute; Richard Kroninger, trombone; Kendrick Johnson, trumpet; and Xavier Wright, tenor sax. Anna Kroninger said last week, "Flutists like myself aren't commonly seen in jazz bands, and neither are accordionists. I'm quite honored to be able to participate in the Youth Involvement Program of the American Accordionists' Association. I'm excited to see what the artists will bring to the wonderful genre of jazz."

Ocotrillo, an award-winning young group from Phoenix will make its East Coast debut with performances on Thursday and Friday together with jazz greats Eddie Monteiro and Frank Petrilli.

For more festival information, visit www.ameraccord.com.

The underappreciated instrument is no stranger here year-round:

Nathan Koci, a founding board member of Jazz Artists of Charleston now based in New York City, has delighted audiences here for years.

Rob Curto, one of the most prominent American players, graced the stage at JAC's Upstairs at McCrady's series a couple of weeks ago as a member of a featured act, Clay Ross' Matuto.

Singleton wowed the audience in January when he played the accordion with his 20-piece big band. It was a no-brainer for him.

"Of course there is a place for accordion in jazz," he told me last week. "I have witnessed it firsthand. The accordion is, of course, a keyboard instrument. It has the ability to not only play lead lines, but accompaniment as well. I have seen people that were playing some high-voltage bebop on the instrument and it was no joke!

"Maybe it is not as popular in the jazz community as an instrument of choice, but it certainly can hang. Just recently, Wynton Marsalis performed a series of shows with renowned accordionist Richard Galliano."

Check out Marsalis at www.wyntonmarsalis.org/2010/05/25/marsalis-galliano-cd-dvd-billie-holiday-edith-piaf.

Jack McCray, author of "Charleston Jazz" and founding board member of Jazz Artists of Charleston, can be reached at jackjmccray@aol.com.